# Storing cigars in original wood boxes and keeping unopened box sealed



## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

:yo:
I've recently received some boxes of cigars, still sealed. I was thinking about keeping three of the boxes sealed and letting them age for a while (Opus X's and Padron). The others (Montecristo, Hemingway and Romeo & Julietta Limited) I've either already opened or will open and smoke a few, before I store the entire box in my wine-a-dor. 

I'm trying to get some ideas on what you all do when you get boxes of cigars and solicit recommendations on what's good practice. For those boxes of cigars you open, do you leave the remaining cigars in the box and storing it in your coolers or large humidors/wine-a-dors? Or do you remove each cigar and store them individually in your trays inside the humidors? 

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. 

And Merry Christmas to everyone! eace:


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Trays are for singles only
If I have a box, they rest in them until there are only 5 or 6
Storing in boxes is always ideal


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## Oliva (Jan 28, 2010)

If the boxes are sealed I keep them this way! Once open I leave the cigars in there until its empty! My 2 cents!


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

Al and Eric...thank you for responding. I will keep the cigars in their original boxes as you both suggested.


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

I open all boxes to inspect for shipping damage and beetle infestations (I once received a box crawling with them), then freeze, put the box into the wineador with the lid ajar for a couple of months, to allow humidity to stabilize, then leave in the wineador with the lid closed until ready to smoke.


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

I always open my boxes too. Both to inspect for any kind of damage and to just admire what's inside.


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## lamontjb (Dec 11, 2010)

What about sealed boxes? Do you have to keep them in a special place too? Can I keep a sealed box in the fridge (veggy section)? I'm overseas and trying to find a way to keep my cigars without having to buy a huge humidor (I have a 25 count humidor on its way but I also have like 25 cigars on the way PLUS on sealed box, so I dont know what to do with the sealed box... Thanks in advance.

Also, can I do the fridge thing as a temporary solution? I was considering doing a small winedor setup.


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

Good point on opening sealed boxes. I don't plan on selling these cigars so I don't see any point in not inspecting them prior to long-term storage. Thanks for the suggestions.

John: Lot of folks here are storing their boxes in coolers converted as large humidors. Here's a thread on the 150 qt Coleman cooler some are using. Any good cooler with kitty litter for maintaining RH is a good alternative storage solution.


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

Mike_E said:


> Good point on opening sealed boxes. I don't plan on selling these cigars so I don't see any point in not inspecting them prior to long-term storage. Thanks for the suggestions.
> 
> John: Lot of folks here are storing their boxes in coolers converted as large humidors. Here's a thread on the 150 qt Coleman cooler some are using. Any good cooler with kitty litter for maintaining RH is a good alternative storage solution.


That's an awesome cooler. I just play lego with mine. :lol:


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

lamontjb said:


> What about sealed boxes? Do you have to keep them in a special place too? Can I keep a sealed box in the fridge (veggy section)? I'm overseas and trying to find a way to keep my cigars without having to buy a huge humidor (I have a 25 count humidor on its way but I also have like 25 cigars on the way PLUS on sealed box, so I dont know what to do with the sealed box... Thanks in advance.
> 
> Also, can I do the fridge thing as a temporary solution? I was considering doing a small winedor setup.


A sealed box must still be stored properly. The fridge is too cold and too dry. You can get an idea from the coolers that people (like myself) keep. There are also large, cabinet humidors that can fit multiple boxes as well as singles.


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

Nice cooler, Bruno! I notice you've installed an Oasis XL humidifier...is that enough to keep the RH level to acceptable level? I've been thinking about doing the same thing. Thanks!


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

Mike_E said:


> Nice cooler, Bruno! I notice you've installed an Oasis XL humidifier...is that enough to keep the RH level to acceptable level? I've been thinking about doing the same thing. Thanks!


I actually only use it to circulate air with fan. This helps distribute the humidity quickly and more evenly. I just put a small tray with beads otherwise. There's also a thread on the forum about using kitty litter crystals (which are essentially the same thing as beads, but without the "preset" humidity control).


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## sengjc (Nov 15, 2010)

sirxlaughs said:


> That's an awesome cooler. I just play lego with mine. :lol:


You reckon you've got enough yet? :lol:


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

sengjc said:


> You reckon you've got enough yet? :lol:


Never enough! If Bruno stopped giving them away he'd have twice as many. ound:


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## muddy (Mar 14, 2011)

always open box to inspect you pay hard earned money for cigars and if they are damaged its a waste of your money, i store mine out of the box and rotate once a month


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

lamontjb said:


> What about sealed boxes? Do you have to keep them in a special place too? Can I keep a sealed box in the fridge (veggy section)? I'm overseas and trying to find a way to keep my cigars without having to buy a huge humidor (I have a 25 count humidor on its way but I also have like 25 cigars on the way PLUS on sealed box, so I dont know what to do with the sealed box... Thanks in advance.
> 
> Also, can I do the fridge thing as a temporary solution? I was considering doing a small winedor setup.


A regular refrigerator will ruin your cigars, regardless of what you keep them in...


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## Grimalkin (Sep 7, 2011)

On the same topic guys...

How long do you estimate a sealed box or sealed bundle of cigars will retain its humidity until I can get it into a humidor? Going on a trip and planning to buy some sealed boxes and bundles while I'm there.

thanks,


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

sengjc said:


> You reckon you've got enough yet? :lol:


With new cigars/blends continuing to be released and the old ones that are consistently good, it's hard to figure out what "enough" is. lol


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## Engineer99 (Aug 4, 2011)

On a related note, does anybody remove the cello before putting boxes away for a while? Is there any benefit in doing so or should I just leave well enough alone? If it's good enough for the ISOM's should I follow suit with the domestics? I'm thinking father time will take care of things eventually, and I should maybe resist the temptation to mess with things, but I'm curious if anyone has experienced better than usual results by de-celloing before storing their boxes.


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## wahoofever (Jul 5, 2011)

James: I just smoked a V from a box I opened today that had been resting only for a few weeks. It was definitely not as good as I hoped. I'm curious to try another in a few weeks with the box having been open in the cooler and see if that changes anything. So I'm wondering the same thing. I have been buying boxes lately but leaving the cello on.


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## xobrian (Mar 29, 2011)

I also unwrap the box, I always feel the need to inspect the contents. I would hate to not open it and find out in 6 months that there was mold or beetles and now it's too late to return it to the vendor.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

My two cents:

I freeze all incoming stock as soon as it arrives. I always remove the plastic wrap from boxes after I freeze them. I figure the plastic wrap is a little extra insurance in the freezer. I remove the plastic wrap before storing because I want to admire and inspect them before storing. Also, I believe the plastic wrap on the outside of most boxes is not vapor permeable...so removing the plastic wrap ensures the sticks will reach my preferred RH.

Almost everything in my coolers is in boxes. I do not prop boxes open in my cooler. One can, for sure....there's nothing wrong with it. But boxes are not air tight, and they will eventually reach your preferred RH even when closed. These days, I never smoke anything within a month of receiving it, and lately that's been closer to 3 months....plenty of time for RH to settle even in a closed box.

I do not remove cellos until time to smoke. Cellos protect against damage to the wrapper from bumping around when things get moved around in the cooler. You wouldn't think that little cellophane would make much difference, but it does! Cellophanes, in my experience, do not affect the aging process nor do they affect to any degree how long it takes cigars to settle in RH. There is no advantage in removing cellophanes from individual cigars, other than them looking prettier in your humidor.

I have heard of guys wrapping boxes up tightly with Saran wrap and ziplocks to make them airtight. They do this for long term aging (that is, they don't plan to open the box for several years). These gentlemen have more experience than I....and I don't have that kind of time frame on anything I buy, so I haven't explored this idea any further.

Like the bull man said - don't store cigars in the refrigerator. It seems illogical to me that cigars would dry out in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but I have heard this nugget of wisdom repeated several times from many older and more experienced gentlemen than myself, so I believe it!


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Grimalkin said:


> On the same topic guys...
> 
> How long do you estimate a sealed box or sealed bundle of cigars will retain its humidity until I can get it into a humidor? Going on a trip and planning to buy some sealed boxes and bundles while I'm there.
> 
> thanks,


Before you leave, go to Walmart and get yourself some ziplock freezer bags. 1 gallon size will hold most bundles and some boxes, 2 gallon size will hold practically any size box. They'll be fine for at least several days to a week in a ziplock. Add a boveda pack and keep your eyes on them, and they'll be good to go practically indefinitely.


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

Thank you to all the good folks who provided invaluable advice and suggestions. This thread has really given me and I think other members a great start on properly storing and maintaining our cigars. 

To anyone else who may have questions regarding storing their cigars properly, feel free to ask in this thread.


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## tiger187126 (Jul 17, 2010)

sirxlaughs said:


> I always open my boxes too. Both to inspect for any kind of damage and to just admire what's inside.


+1, because if there's a problem you want to let your vendor know immediately so they can ship you some new ones. i would hate to have some padrons sitting for 5 years only to find they were destroyed in the box while being shipped and now i have no way of getting my money back or sticks replaced.

i always store in a box if possible though, and if i have a few left i might throw them in a singles drawer because i have to make room for another box.

actually there was a lot of discussion a while ago about rewrapping the boxes to settle down to age. it actually slows down the aging process or something along those lines. cool stuff.


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## nealw6971 (Jul 8, 2011)

One thing I noticed in your original post is that you plan on aging Padrons. My understanding is that Padrons aren't meant to be aged. They're ready to go once rH is stabilized. I'm sure some will disagree with me... but just my 2-cents.


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

Hi Neal - good catch! I've also read that Padrons can be smoked immediately. I may just go ahead and enjoy a couple on Christmas and New Years. Thanks again for pointing that out.


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## Toddmo (Apr 14, 2017)

I live in AZ. How do you keep Cigars between 68-72 in the ice chest humidor?


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